If you leave the grocery store in shock after paying $8 for a loaf of bread, a carton of eggs, and some bananas — you’re not alone. I’ve felt that same frustration, wondering how a basic food shop suddenly turned into a budget-busting expense.
Since 2019, food prices in the U.S. have gone up by nearly 30%, with essentials like cheese, milk, and pasta seeing the biggest hikes. And the truth is — most people’s wages haven’t kept up. So if your food bill feels out of control, it’s not because you’re doing anything wrong. It’s because everything is more expensive.
But there’s good news: this is one area of your budget where you can start making a real difference right away. No gimmicks. No obsessive couponing. Just smart, realistic strategies that actually work.
Here’s what I’ve done to take back control of my grocery spending — and how you can, too.
Start with your base ingredients
It’s all about that base — and no, I can’t say that without hearing the song either.
When you build your meals around base ingredients, you avoid one-time-use items and save a ton. These ingredients are cheap, flexible, and long-lasting — and they’re the backbone of your weekly menu.
Here are a few of my staples:
- Rice, pasta, oats
- Canned tomatoes & beans
- Potatoes, carrots, onions
- Eggs
- Lentils
- Basic herbs & spice blends
The goal isn’t to eat the same thing every day — it’s to learn how to remix these basics into different meals. For example, with just canned tomatoes and chickpeas, I can make:
- A quick curry
- A veggie stew
- A soup
- A traybake with chicken and veggies
Same goes for potatoes: boil up a big batch and use them across the week — mash, soups, home fries, curry, even omelettes and fish cakes.
I also use veggie scraps (like broccoli stems, carrot peels, and potato skins) to make homemade stock. It’s basically free — and adds serious flavor to soups and sauces.
Use “everything” sauces
A basic tomato sauce (onion, garlic, carrot, celery, canned tomatoes) can be the starting point for:
- Pasta
- Chili
- Lasagna
- Bolognese
- Enchiladas
If homemade isn’t happening, no shame: I love Mutti passata or even a smooth pre-made sauce (especially if kids hate “bits”). It’s cheaper and faster than buying five different sauces every week.
Buy whole chicken
Seriously — a whole chicken is one of the BEST ways to stretch your food dollars. For under $10, you can:
- Make a roast
- Shred leftovers into tacos or sandwiches
- Add it to soups and rice bowls
- Boil the bones for stock
That one bird can easily stretch to 3–4 meals if you bulk it with veggies, grains, or lentils.
Organise your kitchen
Kitchen chaos = waste = $$$ down the drain. Here’s how I simplified our food system at home:
- Created zones in our pantry: grains, sauces, canned goods, spices
- Got a magnetic whiteboard on the fridge to track meals and leftovers
- Made a master list of our go-to meals so I never forget an easy win
- Started using a meal-planning spreadsheet that builds a grocery list from what we already have
Honestly, that spreadsheet was a game-changer. I use one from Coplenty, and I love that I can share it with my partner — so no more “what’s for dinner?” texts at 5pm.
Know where your money’s going
If you’ve never looked at your grocery spending in your banking app — do it. You might be surprised how much adds up in snacks, extras, or top-up trips.
You can also use a budgeting spreadsheet to track your food costs week by week. Just being aware makes it way easier to spot where things are creeping up.
Think 2 weeks ahead
This mindset shift made a huge difference for me.
Instead of shopping one week at a time, I started planning meals that could stretch over two weeks. That means:
- Buying bulk packs of meat (cheaper per pound)
- Making double batches for the freezer
- Using one mix (like seasoned ground beef) for tacos, chili, or pasta bake
One pound of ground beef can turn into burgers and meatballs if you add breadcrumbs and egg. Then freeze some for later — it’s meal prep, simplified.
Bonus tip: those leftover breadcrumbs? Use them for homemade chicken nuggets or schnitzel!
Make it last
Whatever you buy, you need to make it last so you can use up every single bit.
- Freeze overripe fruit for smoothies
- Freeze peeled garlic or chopped onions to avoid waste
- Use silicone trays to freeze leftover tomato sauce or beans
- Store leftovers with purpose: taco meat becomes tomorrow’s rice bowl
Got stale bread? Blitz it into breadcrumbs. Leftover veggies? Toss into an omelette or fried rice. Food doesn’t have to be pretty — it just has to be used.
Use scan and go toold
If your grocery store offers scan-as-you-shop tools — try it! It makes it easier to track your spending as you go, avoid overspending, and skip surprises at checkout.
If your budget is $100, and you’re already at $92? That extra bag of chips might not make the cut — and that’s a win.
Skip the “special” shelves
You know those displays at the end of aisles or near the store entrance? That’s marketing. Don’t fall for it.
Always go to the product’s actual shelf and compare prices, in order to find a product that is the best value.
Packed lunches and snacks
Pre-packed snacks, grab-and-go lunches, and drinks seriously add up. School lunches that seem cheap? Multiply that by 2 kids, 5 days a week, and you’re at $25+.
You can pack all their lunches (and snacks) for under $15 if you shop smart.
Even on day trips or park outings, we pack:
- Sandwiches or wraps
- Reusable bottles of water or juice
- Frozen yogurt tubes or homemade popsicles in a cooler
That’s $10 saved on ice cream — every time.
Ask AI when stuck
Too tired to think of what to cook with three random ingredients? I’ve used ChatGPT to generate recipe ideas based on what’s left in my fridge. Free, fast, and surprisingly helpful!
All you need to do is tell it what you have in, and ChatGPT will generate a recipe idea for you, or multiple ideas.
You can also input your entire shopping list into it and ask it to generate a full weekly meal plan. This is a great way to avoid waste and save time – because we’re all too busy to spend ages trawling through recipe books.
